On 11th and 15th August, the letters section of the South Wales Echo included correspondence from a ‘Marlene Meeson’ of Fairwater, Cardiff which criticised us and our work. In her first letter, concerning the case of Jean-Pierre Gueutchue, we are told that;

“the ineptly titled No Borders Wales should leave decisions to those in charge at the Home Office.”

The recently produced first issue of the No Borders South Wales Newsletter, made the news in it’s own right yesterday when Media Wales published an article under the headline: ‘Asylum campaigners launch newsletter‘ then followed it up with a a link to this very website! Three cheers for David James of South Wales Echo, a fantastic bit of free publicity!

ASYLUM campaigners who opposed the deportation of late Ghanaian cancer sufferer Ama Sumani and are fighting on behalf of several other asylum seekers, have produced their first newsletter.

The group, called No Borders South Wales, kicked off their first two-page newsletter with a report about a protest outside the Border and Immigration Agency regional headquarters on Newport Road, Cardiff, last Wednesday.

The group plans to hold monthly similar pickets as it fights the deportation of other South Wales-resident asylum seekers including pregnant Nigerian Kemi Ayinde who, as a teenager, was trafficked into the UK to work as a child prostitute.

Immigration and inclusion in South Wales by Terry Threadgold, Sadie Clifford, Abdi Arwo, Vanessa Powell, Zahera Harb, Xinyi Jiang and John Jewell has recently been published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Well worth a read; it makes important points about how integration is much smoother for migrants who are allowed to work and points out that social class is a highly significant factor in determining life changes for everyone, migrant or otherwise.

The Trade Union Congress & Refugee Council Right to Work campaign aims to overturn the 2002 legislation that denies asylum applicants the ability to seek employment of any kind. The altering of the inequalities of social and economic hierarchy in the UK will require a class struggle of wider proportions.

The second failed attempt by the Home Office to deport Kemi, Taiwo and Yasim on tuesday gained some press attention. However the somewhat suspect claim by Virgin Nigeria Airlines’ Director of Corporate Communications Larry Agose (pictured) has taken centre stage for foiling the forced removal.

Larry said that:

We were approached to carry Kemi Ayinde who is billed for deportation from the UK on our flight, but we declined. We also do not intend to carry her on any of our subsequent flights.

Reporters from the Mirror, WalesOnline, & South Wales Echo all put the fact that the family was wasn’t deported down to the Virgin Nigeria refusing the Home Office. Breaking News Kenya has repeated the story and there has been discussion on the Mirror forum on the issue. Other media souces BBConline and News Wales weren’t so sure, and have concentrated on the Judical Review that came into place some time before Larry’s statement. The whole thing appears to have really annoyed the racists on Stormfront, a sign to everyone that we’re doing something right!

Of course we couldn’t be happier that Virgin Nigeria has commited not to deport Kemi at any time in the future. And though we are somewhat cynical that they had originally refused to do the Home Office’s dirty work (especially given the evidence to the contrary, see previous posts), we’re willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. We hope that Virgin Nigeria’s heroic stand against the deportation of Kemi is followed up by the refusal to deport ANY failed asylum seekers by the whole Virgin group.

Meanwhile the campaign has also now got the support of Jill Evans MEP, who has written to the home secretary to reconsider Kemi’s case and has said :

I fully support the campaign of No Borders Wales to allow Ms Ayinde and her family to return to Cardiff.